Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. I am only going to speak to one amendment, Government amendment No. 46. I am looking for clarity about the implications of this amendment and I feel optimistic. It states:

In page 58, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following: “(b) Applicants for licences under this section for appliances, apparatuses or structures of such class or classes as may be prescribed shall give notice of such applications to the public in such manner and form as may be prescribed.”.

The Minister of State may not recall, although I hope he does, the point I made to the effect that there was no mechanism for public notification or consultation when it comes to telecommunications masts and that this is an anomaly. You need to apply for full planning permission for a mast over 12 m on private land but, under section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, you just need to go through the licence application process with the result that masts of 15 m, 18 m and higher are appearing all across the country, sometimes right outside people's homes, without any notification or opportunity to have a say. I am reading this amendment and wondering whether it means that the Minister of State's Department would be able, through regulations, to impose a necessity for public notification and consultation. Does it leave it open to that? I would be very happy if that were the case but some clarity is required. It is left open-ended. I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide that clarity and to reassure people. When I spoke in the Seanad, I certainly accepted that this is essential infrastructure and my colleagues seemed to agree but, essential or not, we still have a responsibility to ensure that local communities have sufficient access to information and the ability to partake in some sort of consultation about changes in their environment.